There are two ingredients that take this easy beef and three bean chili recipe from killer to kick-ass: beer and enchilada sauce. Taste it for yourself to discover the reason why.

This red chili recipe is not only killer, it was almost kick-ass too.

But then I got nervous that when my mom read this post she’d be hot on her iPhone to text me and say, “Heidi!!! You can’t say kick-ass in your post! You’ll offend your readers!”

So in regard for you, my dear readers, this chili is simply KILLER.

But you’ll realize as soon as you make it that it’s totally kick-ass, too.

I first made this recipe before most of today’s teenagers were even born. I wrote it down in my familiar handwriting that is much more legible than it is today.

It’s safely documented within the well-worn, hand-written recipe book my mom gave me right out of college. The book that’s stuffed with the torn-out recipes from random newspapers and magazines that over the years have become our own. The book whose ruled pages hold the treasures of recipes passed down to me from my mom, my grandmothers and even a few co-workers and neighbors who inspired me with their creations.

It’s my one recipe book that could never be replaced.

And like this chili, it is filled with kick-ass flavors waiting to be made. I mean…ahem…killer flavors. That one’s for you, mom.

About the Recipe

I like beef chili. I like bean chili. So why discriminate against one or the other? I use ground sirloin for my beef. If you can’t find sirloin, a suitable chuck or even ground beef will do. Or, feel free to use 1 pound pork sausage with 1 pound ground beef. Make it what you crave.

I use three different beans in this recipe starting with dark kidney beans, lighter pinto beans and chili beans which are beans cooked in a mild sauce. It’s a rainbow of beans. I use canned beans because it’s just easier and quicker. I’ve never had anyone complain that I didn’t take the time to soak my beans straight from the bag, but if you’d like to, I say go for it!

For maximum chili flavor, I cook the spices along with the vegetables, rather than simply adding them to the sauce. This method infuses the vegetables with the aromatics and deepens the earthy sauce.

I have two ingredients that take this chili recipe from killer to kick-ass: beer and enchilada sauce. Taste it for yourself to discover the reason why.

The secret to this killer beef and three bean chili is beer and enchilada sauce, which totally take it to the next level.

Serves: Serves 12

Ingredients

1 tablespoon vegetable oil

1 tablespoon butter

2 green bell peppers, cored, seeded and chopped

2 medium onions, peeled and chopped

4 garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup New Mexico chili powder

1 tablespoon ground cumin

1 tablespoon ground coriander

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

2 pounds ground sirloin beef

1 15-ounce can kidney beans

1 15-ounce can pinto beans

1 15-ounce can chili beans

1 15-ounce can enchilada sauce

1 12-ounce bottle of beer, I used a lager

Kosher salt to taste

Sliced jalapeños

Instructions

Melt the butter with the vegetable oil in a large stock pot over medium high heat. Cook the bell peppers, onions and garlic for about 5 minutes. Sprinkle the chili powder, cumin, coriander and cinnamon over the vegetables and cook, stirring occasionally for another 5 minutes or until the vegetables begin to soften.

Add the ground sirloin to the vegetables and break up with a wooden spoon or spatula. Cook until beef is browned and cooked through, about 5-7 minutes.

Add the beans, enchilada sauce and bottle of beer and season with kosher salt. Bring to a boil, then reduce to simmer cover with a lid and cook for 1 hour, stirring occasionally. Remove the cover, stir and cook for 1 more hour. Add ¼ to ½ cup water if the chili gets too thick, stir and simmer.

Serve with sliced jalapeño, sour cream and cheddar cheese if desired.

3.5.3229

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Make it a great day and cook something good.

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Ha! I sometimes feel the need to swear on the blog, but restrain myself out of fear that my grandparent’s or in-laws will think badly of me…so I refrain. I think this totally warrants the description of kick-ass, because it does indeed look (and sound!) kick-ass! 🙂

I made this for a football chili cook-off on my singles Meetup group. I have never made chili before so this was a new adventure for me and I made it the night prior. I did not drain the canned beans and did not need to add any water after simmering. New Mexico Chili Powder was nowhere to be found, but a quick internet search revealed that Ancho Chile Powder was a good substitute. However, the few stores in my area that carried it were completely out of stock! I ordered from online but there was a shipping delay and it did not arrive in time. I substituted with 1 TBSP of Chipotle Chile Powder and at the last minute I found ONE LAST bottle of Ancho Chile Powder at an upscale grocery store and added 2 TBSP of it to the chili about two hours before serving. I thought the chili turned out GREAT! There were six chili entries and I genuinely thought mine was the best but it tied for second place behind a white chicken chili, and tied with a good but milder chili. This is definitely a spicy chili and I did not include the jalapenos with serving. I used a Guinness beer and several people noticed *something different* in the ingredients, which was the cinnamon. In future I will purchase a 16 oz bottle of Ancho Chile Powder on Amazon since that stuff is so hard to find locally and is much more expensive when purchased in a small bottle.